Gasoline dispensing device



May 22, 1934.

J. L. WILSON, JR

GASOLINE DISPENSING DEVICE Filed March 51, 1952 I 'INVENTOR.

JL. Mlwamcfi: v

mz/ v ATTORNEY.

Patented May 22, 1934 Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GASOLINE DISPENSING DEVICE James L. Wilson, Jr., Rosedale, Miss.

Application March 31, 1932, Serial No. 602,200

3 Claims. (01.221-95).

This invention relates to the art of dispensing A further object of the invention is to provide liquids such as gasoline and the like which are adequate protection for the adjustable parts of usually purchased by the trade in quantitiesof a the dispensing receptacle whereby they are profew gallons at a time, and, more particularly, the tected from unauthorized manipulation.

"5 invention relates to a dispensing apparatus which To these and other ends the invention resides 60 is adapted for use in conjunction with a coin conin certain improvements and combinations of trol device whereby the purchaser is enabled to parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully deobtain a desired quantity of the liquid without scribed, the novel features being pointed out in requiring the services of an attendant. the claims at the end of the specification.

- One object of the present invention is to pro- In the drawing:

" vide a dispensing apparatus and systemwhich is Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a prorelatively simple and economical in construction ferred embodiment of the invention, certain parts and which is easy to operate, adjust and repair. being diagrammatically shown;

Another object of the invention is to provide 2 is a de a Vi w f the adj ha dispensing apparatus of the character described anism for the movable p whereinapurchaser may, by inserting acoin in a 3 s a ta V ew, showing the t 0 suitable coin control device, obtain a predeter- Check V lv and r mined quantity of gasoline, novel means being 4 s a detail illustrating a means g hprovided for insuring that the exact quantity of netting the piston W its adj st ng screw. 20 gasoline paid for is dispensed from the device. Similar r f ren numerals throughout the Another object of the invention is theprovision al v ws di the same pa tsof a dispensing device of the character described While the apparatus of the present ven n s which is capable of delivering a predetermined readily p d for Vending a y suitable q quantity of liquid, and which, once such quantity it is particularly applicable to the Vending 0f 25 has been delivered, is automatically reconditioned gasoline t0 motorists at Points Where the in readiness t again dispense like quantity of stant services of an attendant are not warranted 1iquj d I from an economic standpoint, or found unneces- Still another object of the invention is to pro- Sary for Other reasons, d n the following devide a simple and eflicient valve arrangement Script/1011 the device Will be eXplained in i s so which is capable, in one position, of delivering a adaptability to such quantity of liquid from a storage reservoir to a The Construction embodying h p ent indispensing chamber or receptacle and capable, Yention is of a simple and sturdy form compriswhen manipulated to another position, to deliver lelatively few parts a d is capable of being t contents f the dispensing chamber to the operatedwith the utmost ease and convenience by 35 receptacle of t pu 'chasen those desiring to purchase a quantity of gas- A further object of the invention is to provide Ohnea dispensing receptacle so constructedv that the mventlon as dlsclosed comprises h volume of the receptacle can be readily varied blnation of a main storage reservoir and a disat will to take care of fluctuations in the price of pensme chamlPeT receptacle, there being a 40 the liquid being dispensed, suitable conduit or pipe connection between the An additional object of the invention is to efreservolr and e dispensing receptacle to a low fectively combine, in a dispensing receptacle of P of hquld from the reservoir to h the character described, adjustable mechanism dispensing receptacle- A Suitable discharge 0011* f varying the Volume f the receptacle with duit is also provided connected to the dispensing 45 venting means, which aHOWS f the escape receptacle whereby the liquid therein can be displaced air and vapor from the receptacle as discharged or dispensed. Suitable manually opit is being filled and the entrance of air as it is arable means in the form of an oscillatory shaft being discharged, in suchamanner that the ventis Provided in the device Which Carries valve ing means will function regardless of the adjustp r s for va at control the w of qu d t 50 ment of the volume varying mechanism. and from the dispensing receptacle, the valves still an additional object of the invention is to e ng so disp s d w s t to each other materially reduce evaporation losses by returning that when one is in open condition the other is the vapor which is displaced from the dispensing closed. Acoin control mechanism is so assoreceptacle, as it is being filled, directly to the main ciated with means for locking the oscillatory shaft 55 storage reservoir. carrying the valve ports that such shaft is operableonly after a suitable coin has been inserted into the coin control mechanism. In order that a coin will purchase a specific amount of gasoline at any given price the dispensing receptacle is so constructed that the volume thereof may be changed whereby the quantity of gasoline to be dispensed is varied to compensate for the price range; vent means are also provided Which cooperate with the dispensing receptacle to allow for the passage of air therefrom when the same is being filled. Due to the fact that no attendant is necessary for the present device, it has been found advantageous to so construct it that all of its adjustable parts are protected from unauthorized manipulation.

Referring more particularly -to the drawing,

illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 refers to a main storage tank or reservoir, supported on a suitable base not shown, adapted to deliver liquid to a dispensing receptacle 6 through a conduit 7. The dispensing receptacle 6 is preferably formed of an open ended cylinder 8 of glass or other suitable transparent material which rests on a base element designated generally at 9 which is in turn mounted on a suitable support 10. In order to form a liquid tight construction, the lower end of the glass cylinder 8 is preferably disposed in an annular groove formed by upstanding rings 11 and 11 on a bottom closure disc 12. A suitable gasket or other packing means of rubber or leather is held within the groove and supports the lower edge of the cylinder.

The upper end of the cylinder 8 is received in an annular groove formed by upstanding ribs or flanges 13 and 14 formed on a top closure disc 15. The closure 15 is held down against the top of the cylinder 8 by means of a plurality of threaded rods 16, 16 suitably connected to the closure disc 12 and passing through openings in the edge of the top closure 15 and carrying nuts 17, 1'7 whereby the cylinder 8 may be forced against the base and held in a liquid tight manner..

In order to control the flow of liquid to and from the dispensing chamber, valve means are provided, designated generally at 20, which include a shaft 21 having formed therein a discharge valve port 22 and an inlet valve port 23, such valve ports being so disposed that when one valve is open the other will be closed.

' The valve means is preferably housed within a suitable block or casting portion 24:, preferably formed as a part of the bottom closure disc 12, and within the base 9. The block 24 is provided with a discharge port 25 and an inlet port 26 adapted to register respectively with the valve ports 22 and 23. The conduit '7 is connected into the block 24 at the inlet port 26, in any well known manner such as by threading the end of the pipe which forms the conduit into such part. A discharge conduit 27 is similarly suitably connected to the block in communication with the port 25.

In order to enclose the valve means and conduit connections the base 9 is formed with a bottom member 28, provided with an upstandingperipheral flange 29, which completely encloses all of the operating parts, the flange 29 being suitably bolted or otherwise secured to the bottom closure disc 12. r

The shaft 21 is mounted to oscillate within the block 24 and for this purpose a handle 30 is provided by means of which the shaft may be manually moved through any desired angle necessary to manipulate the valves. For the purpose of causing the valve means to normally remain in filling position there is provided a coil spring 31 connected at one end to the shaft 21 and having its other end relatively fixed on the block 24. The tension of this spring may be varied in any suitable manner as by means of a tensioning device indicated generally at 32. It will thus be seen that when the handle 30 is in an uprightposition the valve port 23 will be in position to permit liquid to flow from the supply reservoir 5 to the dispensing chamber 6 and that at the same time the valve port 22 will be out of register with the port 25 so that no liquid can be discharged through the discharge conduit.

The present invention contemplates the use of a coin control locking means in combination with the shaft 21 whereby the shaft will remain locked in non-discharging position of the valves until after the deposit of a suitable coin within the slot 33. This coin control may be of varying form and therefore has not been shown in detail. It will sufiice to state that when the coin is inserted it will be temporarily retained in a pocket in the shaft and be in a position to unlatch a detent which normally locks the shaft. Thus, a person desiring to obtain gasoline may discharge the device by inserting a coin in the slot 33 and swinging the handle 30 in the proper direction. The coin will be deposited within a box 34 after serving to release the coin lock. The coin box 34 is adapted for detachment from the base 9 for collection of the coins deposited therein. For this purpose, a suitable locking device indicated generally at 35 is provided. The shaft 21 is preferably formed in separable sections connected by a joint as indicated at 36. A suitable stop means such as a lug or pin, not shown, will be provided to prevent undue rotation of the valve end of the shaft 21 when the outer end of the shaft is removed, so that the tension will be maintained on the spring 31.

It will be understood that the insertion of a coin will unlock the shaft to permit its movement to position in which the discharge valve is open, and that the handle 30 will be held down until the dispensing chamber is entirely empty, whereupon the release of the handle 30 by the purchaser will permit the shaft 21 to return to normal position through the agency of a spring 31, thus causing the inlet valve to open so as to permit the flow of gasoline from the source of supply to the dispensing receptacle. The device is thus automatically reconditioned for a further dispensing operation.

Means are provided for adjusting the volume of the dispensing receptacle whereby the device is adapted to dispense pro-determined quantities of gasoline depending upon'the particular price of gasoline at any given time. For this purpose there is preferably provided a piston 40 slidably fitted within the cylinder 8 for movement toward and from the bottom closure 12. In order to provide for a liquid tight connection between the piston and the cylinder 8 a suitable packing ring 41 is employed. The cylinder 8 may be graduated to indicate capacity in gallons or any other suitable unit as is well understood.

For the purpose of adjusting the piston up and down within the cylinder 8 to vary the volume of the dispensing chamber 6 there is provided a threaded shaft 42 having a swivel connection 43 with the piston and having a nut 44 thereon (see Fig. 2) which is rotatably held ,in place on the conduit with the cover.

the top closure This connection may be more or less conventional and in the present instance comprises a retaining member secured to the closure 15 and engaging a shoulder portion 46 formed integrally with the nut to prevent displacement of the nut from the closure 15.

Means are provided for venting the air and vapor which is displaced from the dispensing chamber during the filling operation and also to provide for the ready inlet of air or vapor upon the emptying of the chamber 6. For this purpose there is provided a valve 47 mounted in the piston 40 so as to be adjustable therewith. This valve may be of any approved type, but in the presentinstance is preferably in the form of a float or check valve element 48 adapted to close a valve port 49. A stem 50, fitted at the center of a spider 51, insures proper guiding of the valve into closing position. Thus it will be seen that so long as the valve element 48 rests on the spider 51 the gas and vapor contained in the chamber 6 may readily escape through the port 49, but when the liquid rises within the housing of valve 4'7 the float element will be lifted and the port 49 will be closed, thus closing the entire chamber 6 and preventing further flow of liquid through the conduit 7. The device is then ready to dispense a measured quantity of liquid.

While the vapors discharged from the chamber 6 may be vented to the atmosphere, if desired, it has been found preferable to carry such displaced vapors back into the supply reservoir 5 and for this purpose a flexible tube 52 is connected to the valve housing 47 and joined to a tube 53 which may be any suitable pipe which is connected at its other end to the reservoir 5. In this manner the discharged air which is always somewhat saturated with gasoline vapor is retained within a closed system and the loss from I. evaporation is reduced to a minimum and the fire hazard is also considerably lessened.

The reservoir 5 is provided with any suitable form of vent means 55 and also is provided with a suitable filling line, not shown, all constructed in T a manner well known in the art.

In order to prevent damage to the glass cylinder 8 it is preferably enclosed within a cage 56 which may be formed of woven wire. The cage may be secured on the base by forming an outstanding flange 5'7, which is received under a semicircular retaining ring 58. A suitable locking device, illustrated generally at 59, is provided for the purpose of permitting removal of the cage when desired. Instead of removing the entire cage when it is necessary to adjust the nut 44, a

" opening will be provided in the top 60 to prevent its contacting the end of the screw 42 when swung on its pivot. Also when'the conduit 53 passes straight down through the cover 60, an elongated opening will be provided to avoid interference of It will be obvious that the conduit 53 may enter the cage 56 at the side, if desired, so as to avoid passing it through the top closure 60. 1 7

While the present invention has been described with the use of a single dispensing apparatus connected into the supply reservoir 5, it will be apparent that any desired number of individual dispensing devices can be connected to the same reservoir and, in this way, one dispensing device could be arranged to deliver in unit quantities of twenty-five cents each, for example, and the other could be arranged to deliver in unit quantities having a value of fifty cents each, thus permitting the purchaser to obtain the amount desired in the minimum time.

I The use and operation of the apparatus of the present invention is relatively simple. When a purchaser desires to obtain a quantity of gasoline, he inserts a suitable coin into the coin control mechanism thereby unlocking, such mechanism. He then actuates the handle 30 causing the valve port 22 to be opened and the valve 23 to be closed whereby the liquid in the dispensing receptacle flows into the purchasers receptacle. As the level of the liquid in the dispensing receptacle drops, atmospheric pressure causes air to enter through the vent tubes 52 and 53. After the dispensing receptacle has been emptied, the purchaser releases the handle 30 and the recoil spring 31 causes the shaft 21 to return to its original position, thereby closing the valve port 22 and opening the valve port 23. Once the valve 23 is opened the liquid from the source of supply, which, in the present instance, is disposed above the dispensing receptacle, is forced by gravity to flow into such receptacle. As the level of the liquid rises in the receptacle, the air therein escapes through the valve port 47 located in the piston 40. When the receptacle has been completely filled, the fioat 48 is forced upward and closes port 49, thus preventing further flow of liquid from the source of supply. The apparatus is then in condition for the next purchaser to obtain a measured quantity of gasoline.

Manifestly there has been provided a dispensing apparatus which has great utility, and by which the seller of gasoline and similar fuel liquids will be able to serve the public at points where it was not feasible to do so heretofore, due to the fact that the quantity of fuel dispensed did not warrant the services of an attendant. It is apparent that a number of the devices of the present invention can be readily adjusted and maintained by a single individual, and the public be effectively and efiiciently served. The present invention provides an apparatus which is so constructed that it is substantially pilfer proof, all of its adjustable operating parts being well protected from unauthorized manipulation, and which is yet adapted to be readily adjusted so that fluctuations in the price of the liquid being dispensed may be compensated for.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, numerous changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present em bodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A liquid dispensing device comprising, in combination, a storage reservoir, a dispensing receptacle, a supply conduit between the storage reservoir and the dispensing receptacle, a discharge conduit connected to said dispensing receptacle, a horizontal shaft carrying valve ports disposed longitudinally thereof and controlling the flow of liquid through said conduits, the valve port associated with said supply conduit being normally open and the valve port associated with said discharge conduit being normally closed, said shaft adapted for manual actuation to reverse the position of said valve ports, locking means associated directly with said shaft to lock the same when said valves are in their normal positions, and a coin control mechanism directly associated with said shaft and adapted to release said locking means upon the insertion of a suitable coin thereinto.

2. A liquid vending machine comprising a dispensing receptacle, a base for said receptacle, a discharge conduit connected thereto, an oscillatory shaft section within the base of said receptacle, a valve port in the shaft section controlling the passage of liquid through said conduit, a coin controlled locking means for said shaft section, said coin controlled locking means including a second oscillatory shaft section aligned with said first shaft and detachably engaged therewith whereby the coin controlled means and said second shaft section may readily be removed bodily from the base of the dispensing receptacle.

3. A liquid vending device of the character described including a dispensing receptacle, said receptacle comprising a cylinder portion, a base for said cylinder, means for varying the volume of said cylinder, said means including a piston slidably fitted within said cylinder, an adjusting screw having an end rotatably secured in said piston, a closure for said cylinder, and a nut rotatably secured on said closure and cooperating with said screw whereby rotation of the nut will move the piston to varying adjusted positions.

JAMES L. WILSON, JR. 

